


Zayn V Danielle: A Fight in Five (or Six) Rounds

by werepope (quiteparadise)



Series: 2014 Advent Calendar for a Filthy-Minded Athiest [23]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Gift Giving, M/M, Poor attitude, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 02:10:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2834342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiteparadise/pseuds/werepope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danielle and Zayn don't like each other.  Sometimes they compete with each other ridiculously for Liam's affection.  There are no winners.</p><p> </p><p>Advent calendar challenge: Feuds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zayn V Danielle: A Fight in Five (or Six) Rounds

**Christmas, 2013** Zayn gets Liam a personalized Greg Cappulo sketch he's had in the wings since September. Danielle gets him a puppy. Liam names him Loki. He's painfully cute and very easy to house train.

 **February 14, 2014** Danielle gets Liam a box of chocolate covered strawberries and (probably) at least one sexual favor. Zayn doesn't get him anything, because it's Valentine's Day and they're only friends.

 **April 17, 2014** Danielle and Liam go to Paris for the weekend to celebrate their two year anniversary. Zayn texts him a slow landslide of pictures of Loki sleeping and eating and sniffing trees at the park near Zayn's place, because Zayn volunteered to dog sit for the weekend and, if Danielle thinks he's not going to use that to his advantage, she's a fool.

 **June 9, 2014** Zayn and Liam go to see an action flick and have drinks. Liam doesn't know that it's their friendiversary until Zayn tells him, but that's fine. He is determined to make it the best night ever, in the face of the news, and they stay out until well past three, after which Liam crashes at Zayn's for the night, because it's close and he's drunk and the busses aren't running anymore.

 **August 21, 2014** Zayn gets Liam the entire _Batman: The Animated Series_ on DVD and the _Lil Gotham_ action figures, because who doesn't love Dustin Nyugen art? Danielle gets him cologne and a sinfully soft cashmere jumper that looks amazing on him. Zayn gets points for sheer joy but Danielle's presents gets contact with skin. She wins.

**Christmas, 2014**

Danielle: 3  
Zayn: 1.5

If he can outdo her this time, they'll be almost even, and he's sure he can get ahead next year, with their Friendiversary officially on the calendar.

Zayn snoops her Twitter beginning in early December to try and catch a hint of any shopping trips that might give him clues. He doesn't stoop to Instagram, although he does consider it for a while. There's just too many pictures on there of Liam and her in romantic bliss. He can't do that to himself. He's acting absolutely fucking insane enough.

For the record, his acknowledgement of the craziness of his own actions doesn't do anything to help him feel better about it. But Christmas is getting steadily closer, and he can't quite talk himself into reasonableness.

He sees Danielle on the twelfth, when he goes to Liam's for their monthly movie night. She's just leaving. He's sure it's intentional. He's absolutely positive it's intentional when she asks him, as she pulls on her coat, if he's finished his Christmas shopping yet.

Her eyes sparkle. On anyone else it would be mischievousness. On Danielle it's a glimpse into the horrible black void of her soul.

He cannot let her win.

They watch _Guardians of the Galaxy_ , sitting close enough on the couch for their knees to stay touching the whole time, their elbows to briefly interlock every time one of them leans forward and then sits back again. Waiting through the credits for Howard the Duck's cameo, Zayn takes apart an Oreo and just asks:

"Any idea what Danielle's getting you?"

Liam just kind of hums. Not like he doesn't know, but that he isn't sure if he wants to say. Zayn frowns.

"I don't know," he says, finally. "I'm not sure we're doing gifts this year."

Inconceivable. Not Danielle. There's too much on the line. She wouldn't just give up the opportunity to rub Zayn's face in it. That's not her style at all.

"Why not?" He can't help it if he sounds suspicious. It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you.

Liam shrugs and steals half of the Oreo from Zayn's hand, because he's just holding onto it like an idiot and staring at Liam hard. It was the side with the white stuff, too. Liam's smug little smile is totally worth it, but fleeting.

"She's going home to spend the holiday with her family."

Zayn eats his dry chocolate wafer and tries to run all the angles. "Didn't she last year, too? Isn't that normal?"

"Yeah, no," Liam says, shrugging a little. "It is, I guess. It's just. You know."

Zayn does not know but he wants to desperately. His stomach twists and knots like a furious python. Money's not tight, not for either of them. They could be doing the charitable Christmas thing, he supposes. That's more up Liam's alley than Danielle's, though, and even if he did propose something like that, he'd still get her a gift. He can't help himself. He's a giver.

"We're going to talk. Before she goes. About us. Take the holiday to think it over, while we've got time apart. I don't know," Liam says. He leans forward to get another cookie. When he sits back again, his elbow nestles in the bend of Zayn's. "I think we're probably going to break up."

"Liam, I'm so sorry," Zayn says, putting his arm around him and pulling him in for a side hug. Liam's head on his shoulder is so nice even though it's only there because he's feeling sad and probably pretty lonely.

Zayn is sorry. Sort of. In a way.

Liam says: "It's alright. I mean, it isn't. But it's not the end of the world either, is it?"

"No, it isn't. It still sucks, though."

Liam shrugs again, shoulder pressing up into Zayn's armpit. "Think she'll fight me for custody of Loki?"

"No way. He was a gift," Zayn says. "That's just rude."

Liam digs his fingers ticklishly into Zayn's side until he squirms away, yelling and falling over onto the vast span of couch that he pretends doesn't exist during the movie.

"What about you?" Liam asks, fending off a lazy kick. "What are you getting me?"

Zayn shrugs and crosses his legs over Liam's lap. "I dunno," he says. "Just a gift certificate or something."


End file.
